MAILBAG - Dec. 17, 2007

Wetland inlet not affecting public health

In October of this year I attended the Headwaters to Ocean Conference in Long Beach as did Don Schulz.

The final session of the conference was: Bolsa Chica Wetlands Restoration Project-One Year Later. The speakers were Robb Sloop of Moffatt & Nichol, Rick Wilson of Surfrider Foundation, Douglas Moore of the OC Public Health Laboratory and David Carlberg from the Bolsa Chica Conservancy.

The conclusion that all four of these well-respected participants came to is that the opening of the new inlet has been an overwhelming success.

There has been no negative impact shown to either public health or safety since the opening of the inlet.

Schulz listened to all these reports, including a positive one from his own Surfrider Foundation and chose instead to make his own interpretation. However, the facts are that the samples obtained by the Bolsa Chica Conservancy’s Water Team were chosen at the time of an extreme high tide for each month in order to distinguish the bacteria coming in from the surf from that flowing out of the wetlands. The study has shown so far that the waters coming in from the ocean have higher bacteriological levels than those flowing out from the wetlands.

We intend to continue monthly sampling so that the public can be better informed as to the conditions in the new inlet.

CLAIRE GROZINGER

Bolsa Chica Conservancy

Huntington Beach

Don’t let NIMBY stop Costco from coming

Well, now that Levitz has announced its intention to close the Huntington Beach store I hope the great sages of the city bring Costco to that site.

But then again what NIMBY perpetrators will come out of the woodwork with a jillion reasons why this site is wrong?

Oh, that’s right, I saw a two-headed lizard in the parking lot. Oh well, a lizard sanctuary sounds just as good, it would be open space then.

Huntington Beach